Two bar exerciser

ABSTRACT

Two semi-rigid bars are suspended from an adjustable belt adapted to encircle the waist. One bar is positioned in front of the body near the top of the pelvis and the second bar is positioned at the rear of the body near the bottom of the pelvis. Means are provided for pulling the first bar toward the second bar so as to rotate the top of the pelvis toward the rear of the body while exercising various body muscles.

TWO BAR EXERCISER Merwin Guy Hall, Rt. Box 263, i

covingtonflsa 704 33 A 7 Filed: Sept. 18, 1972 Appl. No.: 289,964

Inventor:

U.S. Cl 272/80, 35/29 D, 128/78 Int. Cl A63b 23/02 Field ofSearch.;..... 272/80, 24, 57 R, DIG. 19;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,808,050 10/1957 ward; 128/78FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2,000,045 8/1971 Germany 128/75 PrimaryExaminer-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Joseph R. Taylor Attorney,Agent, or Firm--Richards, Harris & Medlock [57] ABSTRACT 3 Claims, 4Drawing Figures 11 TWO BAR EXERCISER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to a device for exercising the body. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to an exerciser for adjusting theposition of aportion of the body in relation to the rest of the bodywhile exercising body muscles.

Body fatigue and pains-such as muscle cramps, back and neck aches, andshoulder pains-are often the result of faulty posture. Sedentary workand a lack of regular exercise may compound the problem, resulting in ageneral deterioration of muscle tone. One of the effects of the loss ofmuscle tone is a gradual-rotation of the pelvis wherein the front of thepelvis rotates forward and downward and the back of the pelvis rotatesupward. As posture continues to deteriorate over a number of years, thispelvic rotation will result in a swayback-and protrusion of the abdomen.The shoulders droop, the head is gradually tilted forward and the chestslumps. Breathing and digestion are adversely affected, the lower backmay ache, and the shoulder muscles become tense. As the center ofgravity of the body changes, the redistribution of body weight placesundue strain on feet, leg and back muscles.

Conventional exercise equipment has been found to be ineffective inrelieving muscle distress resulting from such posture'deterioration.Many such devices provide little relief because the exercise movementsare practiced in the wrong postural position. Most exercise equipment isdirected only to the exercising of certain body muscles with no thoughtgiven to adjusting portions of the body to their correct positions withrespect to the rest of the body while exercising.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, an exercise device isprovided which includes a plurality of semi-rigid members connected to abelt member which is adapted to encircle a part of the body. Means areprovided for pulling one or more of the semi-rigid members toward theother members so as to adjust the position of a portion of the body inrelation to the rest of the body.

More particularly, in accordance with the present invention, there isprovided an exercise device in which a belt is adapted to encircle thewaist of the body. A front and rear barare connected to the belt bysuspending straps. The front bar is suspended in such a manner that itmay be positioned in front of the body near the top of the pelvis. Therear bar is attached so that it may be placed at the rear of the bodynear the bottom of the pelvis. Means, such as a rope or cord, areprovided for pulling the front and rear bars toward each other, therebyrotating the top of the pelvis toward the rear of the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding ofthe present invention and for further objects and advantages thereof,reference may now be had to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a strap portion of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspectiveview of the invention in operatron.

. DESCRIPTION OF THEPREFERRED Y EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, onepreferred embodiment of the invention is shown. A belt 10 is providedwhich may be placed around a portion of the body, such as the waist. Thebelt is preferable adjustable for fitting various body sizes. Buckle 12is attached thereto for holding the belt snugly in position. Belt 10 isinserted through loop straps 14 and 16 which are positioned on the frontportion of belt 10 on either side of buckle 12. The lower portion ofstraps 14 and 16 tapers torings l8 and 20 having holes aligned with eachother. A bar 22 is inserted through rings 18 and 20 so as to be suspended below and parallel to the front portion of belt 10.

In FIG. 2, a loop strap 24 is suspended from the center of the backportion of belt 10 and terminates in another ring 26 through which asecond bar 28 is inserted. Bar 28 is suspended below and approximatelyparallel to the rear portion of belt 10.

In FIG. 3, a close-up view is shown of strap 14. Strap 16 is identical.Belt 10 is inserted through the loop portion of strap 14 so as toprovide a secure means of attaching bar 22 to the belt. ,The lowerportion of strap 14 forms a ring-l8 within which an inner ring 30 of arigid material may be inserted, resulting in a tighter fit for bar 22.In one preferable embodiment, the strap 14 is made of a semi-rigidmaterial such as rubber, and ring 30 is made of plastic. Other suitablematerials may be readily used.

In FIG. 4, the two-bar exerciser is shown in use. Belt 10 is securedsnugly to the waist of the body. A rope 40 is connected to back bar 28and brought forward to loop over front bar 22. Another rope similar torope 40 may be attached to the opposite ends of bars 22 and 28 in thesame manner as shown.

In one type of exercise, ropes 40 are grasped by both hands and pulledbackward and slightly downward away from the body. This action causesbar 22 to press against the top of the pelvis at the front and bar 28 topress against the bottom of the pelvis at the rear. The

pelvis is thereby caused to rotatethe top front of the pelvis movingbackward and the bottom rear of the pelvis moving forward-thus tendingto restore the pelvis to its proper position for correct posture.

The above-mentioned procedure has the added advantage of strengtheningthe arm, back and abdomen muscles. The shoulders are pulled down andback, the pelvis tilts up in front and down in rear, the chest israised, the abdomen flattens, the neck straightens out and the headtilts back. All of these actions contribute to improving posture andrectifying the difficulties mentioned earlier.

It should be noted that other beneficial exercises are possible usingthe two bar exerciser. For example, after completing the above-describedexercise, ropes 40 may be looped around either end of bar 28 and broughtto the front of the body pulling forward and upward with the shoulders.Other similar exercises utilizing the described invention may bedevised.

It has been found that use of the two bar exerciser on a regular basisprovides market improvement in posture and rapid relief from variousmuscle pains. The present invention is especially helpful to easetensions 3 and pains in the neck, shoulders and back of those who havemaintained a sittingposition for a considerable length of time; p

Various modifications of the two bar exerciser described above arecontemplated, and fall within the scope of the present invention. Forexample, a third bar (not shown) may be attached directly to the rearportion of belt 10. After attaching ropes 40 as described in connectionwith FIG. 4, the ropes may be looped around the end of the third bar andpulled in a forward direction. This action may be useful in working backand shoulder muscles not exercised in the previously describedprocedures. Similarly, different sized belts may be used for attachmentto various other parts of the body in providing similar types ofexercises.

Having described the invention in connection with certain specificembodiments thereof, it is to be understood that further modificationsmay now suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and it isintended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An exercise device comprising:

a. a belt adapted to encircle the waist of the body,

b. suspending straps attached to said belt,

' c. a first bar secured to at least one of such straps and adapted forsuspension in front of the body near the top of the pelvis,

d. a second bar secured to at least one of such straps and adapted forsuspension at the rear of the body near the bottom of the pelvis, and

e. means for pulling said first and second bars toward each other so asto rotate the top of the pelvis toward the rear of the body.

2. An exercise device comprising:

a belt member adapted to encircle a portion of the a first relativelyrigid member suspended below said belt member adapted to be positionedin front of the body,

a second relatively rigid member suspended below said belt memberadapted to be positioned at the rear of the body, and

means connecting said first and second relatively rigid members andindependent of said belt member for pulling said first and secondrelatively rigid members toward each other,

said first relatively rigid member being arranged to be brought therebyinto engagement with a portion of the body disposed adjacent the top ofthe pelvis of the body and said second relatively rigidmember beingarranged to be brought thereby into engagement with a portion of thebody adjacent the bottom of said pelvis for rotating said top of saidpelvis toward the rear of the body.

3. The combination of claim 2 and further comprising flexible means forsuspending said first and second semi-rigid members from said beltmember.

1. An exercise device comprising: a. a belt adapted to encircle thewaist of the body, b. suspending straps attached to said belt, c. afirst bar secured to at least one of such straps and adapted forsuspension in front of the body near the top of the pelvis, d. a secondbar secured to at least one of such straps and adapted for suspension atthe rear of the body near the bottom of the pelvis, and e. means forpulling said first and second bars toward each other so as to rotate thetop of the pelvis toward the rear of the body.
 2. An exercise devicecomprising: a belt member adapted to encircle a portion of the body, afirst relatively rigid member suspended below said belt member adaptedto be positioned in front of the body, a second relatively rigid membersuspended below said belt member adapted to be positioned at the rear ofthe body, and means connecting said first and second relatively rigidmembers and independent of said belt member for pulling said first andsecond relatively rigid members toward each other, said first relativelyrigid member being arranged to be brought thereby into engagement with aportion of the body disposed adjacent the top of the pelvis of the bodyand said second relatively rigid member being arranged to be broughtthereby into engagement with a portion of the body adjacent the bottomof said pelvis for rotating said top of said pelvis toward the rear ofthe body.
 3. The combination of claim 2 and further comprising flexiblemeans for suspending said first and second semi-rigid members from saidbelt member.